Behind the Wheel: 2006 Hyundai Azera: An Avalon Knockoff Comes Knocking June 11, 2006
For now, Hyundai’s competitors can breathe a sigh of relief that the Azera isn’t the world-beater that some of us expected it to be. But they’d better make it a brief sigh.
SOME 14 months ago, at the 2005 New York auto show, Hyundai summoned dealers, journalists and Wall Street analysts to a reception a couple of blocks from the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The main event was the unveiling of a new “entry luxury” car, the Azera.
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The entertainment, appropriately, was by cast members of the Broadway musical “Movin’ Out.” The Azera prototype impressed many skeptics in the crowd while demonstrating that Hyundai was serious about moving out, into new market segments, and up, into classier models.
The Azera seemed to hold great promise with its handsome, sweeping styling; its roomy cabin; its long list of safety features; its array of amenities; and its price, which Hyundai promised would undercut competitors like the Toyota Avalon.
The Azera finally went on sale this year as a 2006 model. Hopes were high, given that most recent Hyundais have handily exceeded expectations, and that the company had set big goals ? 30,000 to 40,000 annual sales in the United States ? for the car.
Yet after my weeklong test drive, I concluded that while the Azera is a credible lower-price alternative to other cars in its class, it is not the slam-dunk performer I had come to expect. The big sedan falls short of the class leaders in several measures, including ride, handling and mileage.
On the other hand, those who have bought the car seem thrilled. Owners scored the Azera as the single highest-ranking car ? in any class or category ? in the annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards from AutoPacific, an industry consulting firm. And last week, when J. D. Power released the results of its 2006 Initial Quality Survey, Hyundai was the highest-ranked mass-market automaker on the list, taking third place (behind only the Porsche and Lexus luxury brands) and beating out the highly regarded Toyota and Honda lines.
Like many of today’s model names, Azera is a made-up word with no meaning. Hyundai executives say they gave their flagship sedan a new name because the car was so different from the XG series that it replaced. Probably, they also wanted to throw off the baggage of the XG, a large car introduced as a 2001 model. Despite engine upgrades (reflected in a 2002 name change from XG300 to XG350), the car was not a success. Its styling was generic to the point of being stodgy, and its driving dynamics fell hard on the fuddy-duddy side of the excitement scale.
The Azera aims higher. It is not only directed squarely at the Avalon, it seems to copy the biggest Toyota car in several ways. Its exterior lines are soft and flowing. Its cabin looks stately, comfortable and tastefully luxurious.
Built in Korea on a modified version of the chassis used for the midsize Sonata sedan, the Azera is longer and wider than the XG, though a bit shorter than its primary competitors. Still, the interior is capacious; Hyundai boasts that the Azera has a larger cabin than the costly BMW 7 Series or Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
The Azera beats the Avalon on trunk space, thanks partly to its high-set rear end, reminiscent of the 7 Series. If you like the look of BMW’s controversial rumps, you’ll probably think the Azera is handsome enough.
Inside, my Azera Limited test car had faux-wood trim and real leather upholstery. While the quality of the materials was generally good, if not great, the interior looked better than it felt. Plastics were harder than the Avalon’s soft-touch finishes. The foam in the seat cushion felt hard.
Still, trim pieces fit together well and the hinged compartments are damped for smooth, Lexuslike operation. In another display of attention to detail, the Azera’s trunk is nicely finished, using neatly covered gooseneck hinges like those on more expensive cars. The Azera comes only as a five-passenger model, with two individual seats in front. The Azera is front-wheel drive, though Hyundai officials say they are considering an all-wheel-drive version.
All Azeras have a 3.8-liter V-6, which at 263 horsepower is Hyundai’s most powerful engine yet, paired with a five-speed automatic transmission that can be shifted in manual mode. The powertrain, a huge improvement over the XG’s, takes the Azera from 0 to 60 m.p.h. pretty quickly ? in 6.1 seconds, according to Car and Driver magazine.
The fuel economy of Korean cars tends to lag that of the Japanese and, often, the Americans. The Azera’s estimated mileage ? 19 m.p.g. in town, 28 on the highway ? is identical to that of the Buick Lucerne V-6, though a bit lower than the Avalon’s and Ford Five Hundred’s.
The Azera’s weakest aspect is its ride and handling. The light, vague steering conveys little road feel. The suspension is soft, more like a bygone Buick’s than a modern-day sport sedan’s.
Where the Azera trumps its competitors is on its warranty ? its powertrain coverage of 10 years or 100,000 miles compares with three years/36,000 miles for the Ford and Toyota, and four years/50,000 miles for the Lucerne. The Hyundai also stands out for its safety features.
Standard on the Azera are four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, stability control and eight standard air bags (two in front, two on the side in front and two on the side for the back seat, plus two side-protection curtains). The Avalon makes you pay extra for a package of safety features; the Five Hundred doesn’t even offer stability control.
Hyundai is adding an XM Satellite Radio option this year; a navigation system is a year or two away.
The entry-level SE is well equipped at $24,995. Its only options are a power sunroof, upgraded Infinity sound system and heated front seats. That model looks like a good deal not only against the Avalon (base prices from $27,205 to $34,395) and Maxima ($28,505 to $30,755), but also the high-end Toyota Camry XLE V-6, at $26,385.
The Azera Limited has fancier wheels, electroluminescent gauges and heated leather seats. It starts at $27,495. My test car had the $80 sunroof wind deflector and the $2,500 “ultimate” package of luxury add-ons for a total of $29,415.
It is possible to push the Azera’s price over $30,000, previously unexplored territory for Hyundai, and at that price a buyer might seriously consider the more proven Avalon or the promising new Lucerne.
For now, Hyundai’s competitors can breathe a sigh of relief that the Azera isn’t the world-beater that some of us expected it to be. But they’d better make it a brief sigh. The Azera’s first buyers seem quite satisfed, and Hyundai’s recent history suggests that it will fix the car’s deficiencies in a hurry.
INSIDE TRACK: Hyundai scores, but not with a slam-dunk.
- Posted in : Uncategorized, Hyundai
- Author : arnold
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